Residential desegregation in the Durban region : the case of Westville.
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Date
1996
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Abstract
For many years blacks have been restricted from occupying housing in the suburbs and inner
parts of Durban. The Group Areas Act accommodated them in the rural and unserviced parts
on the periphery of the city. Townships were later developed for them as far away from the
city centre as possible. The scrapping of the Act in 1991 saw many of those people who
could afford housing in the city and in the suburbs moving into houses and flats in
predominantly white areas. The aim of this dissertation was to examine the process of
residential desegregation in a former white suburb. The study was conducted in Westville. a
middle- to upper-class residential area which is presently inhabited by both blacks and whites.
The severe shortages of land and housing, accompanied by the continuing unrest in the
townships and changes in the family size and needs. influenced the migration of blacks to
Westville. This migration started as early as 1987 despite the legal. financial and racist
impediments prior to the repeal of the Group Areas Act in 1991. Most of the black
households in Westville bought their houses through the estate agents. Income was the main
criterion to determine whether blacks qualified for the purchase of property. Most of the
buyers who qualified for loans and could afford to pay for services in the suburbs were those
with more than one income earner per family. The process of residential desegregation was
enhanced by the positive attitudes of the households towards their neighbourhood. The
positive demographic and biracial social interaction among all residents also played an
important role in the integration process. Problems were experienced when some whites
showed signs of prejudice which emanated from the clash of cultures. such as blacks
slaughtering cattle and Muslims sacrificing animals. Although the abolition of the Group
Areas Act in 1991 was not wholeheartedly accepted by all whites. they were gradually
accepting the right or blacks to choose any residential neighbourhood in which they wished
to live.
Description
Thesis(M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1996.
Keywords
Segregation., Theses--Geography.